Safety pneumatic wrench



W. R. WHITE.

SAFETY PNEUMATIC WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28' I920.

Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

L Q Nw UNITED STA'lES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM :ai WHITE,

OF BRISTOL, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY PNEUNEATIC WRENCH.

Application filed July 28',

To all whom 2'25 may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Edgely, Bristol, in the county of Bucks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety Pneumatic Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a safety pneumatic wrench for applying washers and nuts to bolts of steel plates and for analogous purposes.

Heretofo're in ship building and the like, difficulty has been experienced in applying washers and nuts to the bolts for securing the steel plates of the hull of aship, or other structure and it is the usual practice 1n applying the nuts and washers to em-' ploy two men for operating ,a wrench for screwing the washer engaging nut home. It

. frequently happens, through defective mate rial. or other cause, that the wrench slips and an operator is thrown off of high stages ior scaffolds causing death or more or less serious injury. It is the object of the present lnventlon "to provide a simple, practical and eliicient pneumatic socket wrench, of strong and durable construction adapted to be operated y one person without liability of such: personbeinginjured either by the tool or by being thrown from the place of operation 1 should the threads strip from the bolt or the nut otherwise become loose orbroken'.

' A further object of the invention is to provide a safety pneumatic socket" wrench of this character adapted to be readily op- ;erated for Y bolts and lnatically removing nuts and washers from equipped with means for autoejecting a nut and washer after i ,the same have been removed.

1' Another object of the invention is to provide a safety pneumaticallyoperated device adapted to permit tools of various sizes to size may be so that a: socket wrench'of one be employed substituted; for one ofanother size to-enable the devicetooperate on nuts and washers, of different sizes and shapes.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination ofparts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed outin the claims here to appended, it being understood that vari- :ous changes in theform, proportion; size.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. of the motor 1920. Serial No. 399,525.

and minor details of construction, within the scope of the appended claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof. A In the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures z- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pneumatic socket wrench constructed in accordance with this invention, the pneumat c motor being shown in elevation.

Fig. 2 1s a transverse sectional View on l1ne 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a bottom washers. In the accompanying drawings in which 1s lllustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, 1 designates a pneumatic motor of any desired construction but an electric motor of any other suitable construction may of course be employed for operatmg the tool. The motor 1 is provided with a vertically arranged motor shaft 2 having a depending socket 3 having a stud bolt 4 for engaging a pocket or recess 5 in the shank 6 of a socket wrench 7. The socket wrench consists of a lower nut engaging socket portion and an integral upwardly eX- tending stem 8 terminating in the shank 6, which is detachably secured in the socket 3 shaft, whereby socket wrenches of different sizes and shapes, may be readily connected-with the pneumatic motor. The stem 8 which is preferably round is tubular or hollow to receive the stem 9 of a plunger plan view of the safety 10 which is adapted to eject a nut and washer removed by the tool. i

"The socket wrench 7 is adapted to fit over and engage a nut 11, which is arranged on the threaded portion 12 of a bolt 12. The bolt which is shown passing through registering openings-13 and 14 of steel plates 15- and 16 is provided with a head 17. A safety washer 19 is interposed between the nut and the plate 15 and it is provided at its engaging end with an outer annular friction face 20 the inner portion of the outer face being preferably provided with an annular recess 21. The outer friction face 20 of the safety washer 19 is preferably roughened as shown but it may be of any desired construction and it is of greater diameter than the engaging face 22 of the head of the bolt and also the nut so that there is no liability of the washer slipping and rotating and permitting the tool to rotate should the nut strip the threads fromthe bolt. T h inner face of the washer at the bolt opening23 thereof, is smooth as shown and the nut which is beveled at the outer portion of its washer engaging end 24:, bears against the inner portion of the washer as shown and the area of the face 20 of the safety washer is greater than the area of the engaging faces of the nut or the head of the bolt so that the superior friction incident to the engagement of the safety washer with the steel plate 15 will prevent the washer from turning over should the bolt or the nut be rotated by the socket wrench 7.

The safety washer fits within a detachable, relatively stationary housing 26 which is secured by rivets 30 to a flanged attaching ring or section 27 bolted or otherwise detachably secured to the pneumatic motor casing. The section 27 is provided with a flange 28 into which the upper end of the housing extends and which is pierced by the said rivets 30 or other fastening means, and the said ring or section 2'7 is adapted to be removed and replaced by a ring or section having a casing or housing 26 with a lower portion of a different diameter from the detached casing or housing whereby a casing or housing of the required size may be readily applied to the motor casing. Housings or casings 26 of different sizes may be easily and quickly secured to the motor casing to gear to and properly fit rotary socket wrenches 7 of different sizes. In this manner the tool may be readilyarranged for operating on nuts and washers of different sizes.

The housing 26 which is stationary with a pneumatic motor protects the operatorand there is no liability of the operator being injured by the movable parts of the tool when the latter is in operation. Also there is no liability of the operator being accidentally thrown from a scaffold or staging or other elevated point by the accidental slipping of a nut on its bolt.

The plunger 10 consists of a lower hollow or socket portion conforming to the configu ration of, and fitting into the socket wrench and adapted to fit over the threaded end of the bolt and bearing against the nut and the said plunger is forced inwardly against the action of a coiled spring 32 disposed on the stem 9 of the plunger 10 and interposed between a shoulder 37 thereof and a shoulder 88 of the stem of the wrench socket. When the tool is placed over the bolt and engaged with the nut, the plunger will be forced inwardly against the action of the spring as will be readily understood and if the tool be operated to remove a nut and washer, a

' eluding a motor having spring or'plunger will operate to eject the nut and washer from the tool. The outward movement of the plunger is limited by a screw or bolt 39 01' other suitable fastening device piercing the stem of the socket wrench and extending into a groove or way an of the stem of the plunger. This will limit the outward movement of the plunger and prevent a separation of the parts.

The safety pneumatic wrench may also be employed for applying nuts and washers to bolts of machinery and the like where the washers are interlocked with grooved bolts by means of one or more lugs or projections and it will be apparent that the device will constitute a safety wrench for such purposes.

hat is claimed is 1. A safety tool of the class described ina casing, a relatively stationary hollow housing rigidly connected with the motor casing and cooperating with the same to form a rigid support-and provided with a socket arranged to engage and hold a washer, a rotary wrench socket arranged within the housing and adapted to receive a nut and connected with and actuated by the motor. 1

2. A safety tool of the class described including a motor, a stationary hollow housing rigidly connected with the motor and pro vided at the outer end with a polygonal socket adapted to engage and hold a washer, a rotary wrench socket connected with and actuated by the motor and arranged within the said housing and adapted to receive a nut, and a spring actuated plunger mounted within the socket wrench and having a socket portion arranged to fit over the threaded end of the bolt and engaging the nut.

3. A safety tool of the class described including a motor having a casing, a hollow housing provided with an attaching member detachably secured to and rigidly connecting the housing with the motorcasing and adapted to be removed to permit housings of different sizes to be employed, said housings being provided in the outer end with a polygonal washer receiving socket, a socket wrench arranged within the housing and adapted'to engage a nut, and-means for detachably connecting the socketwrench with the motor to permit socket wrenches of different sizes to be used.

A. A safety tool of the'class described including a motor, a hollow housing with the motor and adapted to fit around a washer, a socket wrench arranged within the housing and connected with and'rotated by the motor and arranged to engage a nut at the sides thereof, a spring actuated plunger having a hollow socket arranged to fit over the end of the bolt for engaging the end of the nut, and means for limiting the movement of the plunger 5.. A tool of the class described including a motor a stationary housing rigid With the shoulder, a coiled spring disposed on the motor, a rotary socket wrench arranged stem of the plunger and interposed between 10 within the housing and driven by the motor, the said shoulders, and means for limiting said socket wrench being provided with a the outer movement of the plunger.

tubular stem having a shoulder, a nut In testimony whereof I have hereunto afwasher ejecting plunger arranged within fixed my signature.

the socket wrench and having a stem provided with a shoulder spaced from the said 7 WILLIAM R. WHITE. 

